best way to handle peeling deck stain

10 years ago

I used a latex deck stain at the end of last summer which was supposed to be semi-transparent, but immediately had the appearance of a solid color. Over the winter, the stain began to flake up. You can see that the color didn't absorb at all into the wood, just sat on top of the wood. It wasn't a bargain cheap brand either. I had actually used a cheaper oil stain on my vertical railings and it has held up better than the more expensive latex, which I thought was preferred for horizontal surfaces. Now, I'd like to strip it and maybe put the oil on the deck floor boards. Any suggestions for the best way to do this? Thanks

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CharisB
10 years ago
If it'll do the job, best way to remove is sanding with a floor sander. But if it's really stubborn, you might have to go the way of using chemicals to remove it. Try sanding with a 60- or 80-grit sandpaper. If it takes just a bit of elbow grease, a floor sander should work well. If you can't get it all off, you'll have to go the way of chemically removing it. You'll have to apply a chemical stripper, power wash it off, then apply a neutralizer to make sure the wood gets back to the right color & the chemicals won't interfere with the new stain. No matter what, you're looking at a solid weekend's worth of work to remove the peeling stuff.

As for stain types: try to find a good hybrid that both penetrates and leaves a very slight film (I'm talking maybe 1/2 mil thick) for UV protection. There are several out there. The plain oils tend to darken over time, but the pure film formers peel, as you've experienced. A quality hybird will give you the best of both worlds.

Hope that helps some.

-- Charis w/ Sashco